Process of treating liquors by electricity.



No. 859,178. PATENTED JULY 2, 1907. C. H. C. KOCH. PROCESS 0I' TREATINCLIQUORS BY- ELECTRICITY'.

APPLICATION FILEDv SEPT. 5. 1802.

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* UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

CHRISTIAN H. C. KOCH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CHICAGODISTRIBUTING AND TRADING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OFILLINOIS.

PROCESS OF TREATING LIQUORS BY ELECTRICITY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 190?.

Application tiled September 5, 1902. Serial No. 122,148.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN H. C. KOCH, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State oiIllinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inProcesses for Treating Liquors by Electricity, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to a process for treating liquors by electricityand has for its object to provide a new method and apparatus for thispurpose.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figurel shows a simple apparatus by means of which my invention may be carriedout; Fig. 2 is a sectional view therethrough; Fig. 3 is an end view.

Like letters represent like parts throughout all of the figures. v

My present invention relates particularly to the treating of alcoholicbeverages or liquors, and has for its object, among other things, tomake the liquorbetter and to secure for it the results which, underordinary conditions it is necessary to secure by age, which necessitatesstoring the liquor for a comparatively long period after its manufactureand before it can be placed upon the market.

By means of my invention I am able to secure results in a very shortperiod of time, which, without my invention would require storing thematerial for years.

My invention is applicable to a great variety of materials and it may becarried out in various ways.

As shown in the drawings, I have illustrated a barrel A, which may be ofany material, such, for example, as the ordinary wooden barrel in whichsuch liquors as whisky and the like are placed. In such cases. forexample, I provide at each end of the barrel a conducting plate B, whichis placed on the end or head of the barrel and attached thereto in anydesired manner, as, for example, by means of screws or the like, so thatit can be readily attached and removed. Each plate is provided withsuitable means for connecting it to a conductor, as for example, bymeans o the binding bolts or screws B1. These conductors B2 and B3 areconnected with a source o electric supply C, which may be any suitablesource, such as a dynamo, or the mains of any suitable electric circuitor the like. I prefer to use a high voltage. I have found that theordinary street car voltage gives excellent results. The current used instreet car systems is generally in the neighborhood of 500 volts. I havealso used a 220 volt current. It is of course evident that any othersuitable voltage might be used. When the plates are in position on theheads of tire barrel the current is turned on and the apparatus is leftthis condition for the proper length of time. The length of time will,of course, depend upon the conditions presented, such as the voltage ofthe electric current, the size and material of the receptacle, etc. Thisperiod of time may, of course, be varied as desired, and may be, forexample, a portion of a day, or one or more days. When the current hasbeen on a sufiicient length of time to secure the desired results, theprocess is stopped and the material is then ready for use. With suchmaterial, for example, as whisky, I have found that when new whisky istreated in this man ner the roughness is taken off and it is made mildand of a good taste, although the strength is not changed, themellowness of age being produced in a very short time.

When the construction as shown in the drawing is used, I may interposebetween the plates B and the heads of the barrel a thin piece ofmaterial, such as a damp cloth. The plates B are preferably made of aconsiderable area so as to spread out the current and cause it to passthrough substantially the entire body of the liquor. It is of courseevident that when a wooden barrel is used, the liquor passes, forexample, into the heads of the barrel, and is thus utilized in assistingin obtaining the proper current relations. The heads of the barrel, whenmade of wood, are more or less saturated with liquor and when the dampcloth is used the outer face becomes wet or dampened. I thus have anon-metallic piece having its pores lled with liquor and I have foundthat this is suflicicnt to conduct the current, and yet there are nocorrosive elec trodes or electrical conductors exposed to the liquorinside of the receptacle, and -hence this liquor remains untarnished.ductor such as copper or iron is exposed on the inner face of thereceptacle, electrolytic action takes place and the liquor is destroyed.This must be prevented and with my device is prevented. The metallicplates B are not in contact, therefore, with the liquor in the body ofthe receptacle. There must be interposed between the parts to which thecircuit is connected, a material forming part of the receptacle, whichis a poorer' conductor of electricity than the liquor itself. so thatthe current must come into intimate contact with the liquor itself so asto exert the proper influence thereon. The end pieces, ior example,might be made o different material, butunder no conditions mustcorrosive material such iron or copper be used in contact with theliquor. v

I have described my process in detail and a particular apparatus orcarrying it into effect, but it is of course evident that the apparatusmay be varied in many particulars, and I therefore do not limit mysel to1" cular construction shown.

If, for example, a metallic electric coni It will be noted that by meansof my invention I treat the liquor in the original package, that is theoriginal casks or barrels in which the liquor is placed and shipped bythe manufacturer, and that I treat the liquor without inserting anythinginto the barrel or in any manner changing the barrel.

I claim:

1. 'ihe process ot' treating liquors which consists in confining theliquor in a non-metallic receptacle which is a poorer conductor ofelectricity than the liquor; the interior of the receptacle free fromany conducting material so that the liquor makes contact only with thenon-con ducting material, then connecting vtwo points of this receptaclewith the source of electric supply so that there is no metallic contactwith the liquor within the receptacle and permitting the current toi'iow from one to the other through said liquor.

2. The process of treating liquors which consistsA in applying to thecash or barrel in which the liquor is shipped two electrodes, one ateach end thereof, and then passing an electric current through said endsand through the said liquor without having anything other than thebarrel or Cask in contact with the liquor'.

3. The process of aging liquors which consists in contining the liquorlin u receptacle with its inner surface in contact with the liquor'composed entirely of non-metallic material, then connecting: twoseparated exterior points of the receptacle in an electric circuitWithout allowing said liquor to come into Contact with any metallicelectrode,

' esente and causing the current to he spread out as it enters theliquor' so as to pass through the body of the liquor.

4. The process of treating liquors which consists in confining theliquor in a wooden receptacle, the complete interior surface of which iswood so that nothing but the wood comes into contact with the liquor,then applying electrodes at opposite points on the exterior of saidrccep tacle, then connecting said electrodes in an electric circuitthrough which a current is passed and transmitting,r the current to theliquor in the receptacle throughthe wood which is in contact with theliquor, whereby the transmission of the current to the liquor isdirectly from the wood.

5. The process of treating liquors which consists ln connecting the endsof the original receptacle in which the liquor is kept in an electriccurrent and forcing the current through said ends and said liquor for apredetermined length of time, without bringing anything other than theoriginal receptacle into contact with the liquor so as to treat theliquor in the said original receptacle.

G. The process of treating liquors which consists in con fining theliquor in a wooden receptacle and applying metallic electrodes to theexterior oi the ends of said receptacle, and inter-posing between saidmetallic electrodes and said ends a sheet of moisture holding material,and applying an electric current to said electrodes and forcing suchcurrent through said ends and said liquor.

` CHRISTIAN ll. C. KOCH.

